couplet
Meaning: Two successive lines of verse that rhyme and have the same metre; the simplest stanza form in poetry.
The heroic couplet — two rhyming lines of iambic pentameter — was the dominant verse form in English poetry during the 17th and 18th centuries, used by poets such as Alexander Pope and John Dryden. Shakespeare's sonnets end with a rhyming couplet that often delivers a surprising twist or conclusion. In modern usage, couplets remain common in song lyrics and light verse.
Examples
- Shakespeare often ends his sonnets with a couplet that overturns or reinterprets the preceding twelve lines. 莎士比亚常常以一个对句结束他的十四行诗,这个对句推翻或重新诠释了前面的十二行。Shakespeare suele cerrar sus sonetos con un pareado que invierte o reinterpreta los doce versos precedentes.シェイクスピアはしばしばソネットをカプレットで締めくくり、それまでの12行を覆したり再解釈したりします。셰익스피어는 종종 소네트를 커플릿으로 마무리하여 앞선 12행을 뒤집거나 재해석합니다.
- Pope's Essay on Man is written entirely in heroic couplets, giving it a polished, epigrammatic quality. 蒲柏的《论人》完全以英雄对句写成,赋予了作品精练的警句风格。El Ensayo sobre el hombre de Pope está escrito íntegramente en pareados heroicos, lo que le confiere una calidad pulida y epigramática.ポープの《人間論》は全編ヒロイック・カプレットで書かれ、洗練された警句的な質感を持っています。포프의 《인간론》은 전편이 히로익 커플릿으로 쓰여 세련되고 경구적인 특질을 지닙니다.
- The children were asked to write a couplet describing their favourite animal. 孩子们被要求写一个描述他们最喜欢的动物的对句。Se pidió a los niños que escribieran un pareado describiendo su animal favorito.子どもたちは自分の好きな動物を描写するカプレットを書くように求められました。아이들은 자신이 좋아하는 동물을 묘사하는 커플릿을 쓰도록 요청받았습니다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: academic
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From French couplet (a pair), diminutive of couple (a pair), from Latin copula (a bond, a link). Entered English in the 16th century as a poetic term.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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